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The Rotorua Aquatic Centre anticipates reopening its upgraded outdoor heated 50 metre pool within the month.

The Centre - which has the only outdoor heated 50 metre pool in New Zealand (with natural geothermal resources used for heating purposes) -  caters for local, regional and national aquatic sports, and provides recreational, health, fitness and leisure programmes and services and attracts more than 350,000 visits per year with the ‘learn to swim’ programme teaching more than 67,000 lessons annually.

Council has been working with the Aquatic Centre’s management company CLM as well as pool users and community members to ensure the upgrades meet the needs of the people of Rotorua.

Once complete, the upgrades to the pool will have included lengthening and an increased depth of 1.4 metres which will meet International Swimming Federations depth standards. It will also have a movable bulkhead which can be shifted to create two 25 metre pools.

The pool will also be more accessibility friendly with the installation of a PoolPod accessibility lift which automatically lowers swimmers straight into the pool.

Contractors are currently installing the new blue lining to the pool tank. The liner seals the tank and will provide an attractive and fresh colour to the improved outdoor pool.

In the past month contractors have levelled the pool floor with new concrete and let it dry during the Christmas break. They are now preparing the pool surface for the liner, which also needs drying time.

These last parts of the upgrades are strictly weather dependent and all going well the pool will be open by mid-February. If unfavourable weather occurs before then the opening is likely to move to the end of February.

Rotorua Lakes Council Operations Manager, Jocelyn Mikaere advises “we are getting to the very end of this part of the centre redevelopment and we are looking forward to seeing how the improved pool changes the look and feel of the space.

“We want the Aquatic Centre to be a facility that the community is proud of. The new liner will give the space an attractive and fresh appearance, and with the new decking surrounding the pool it will set the standard of improvement that we want to carry through the rest of the facility.”

Other work to be completed includes:

• Finishing the decking surrounds
• Electrical work in the plant room
• Addition of small details such as shade sails, floor pavers and landscaping
• Pool filling and commission for level, temperature and chemistry control

The upgrades to the outdoor pool began in September last year and are a key component of the wider plan to redevelop the Rotorua Aquatic Centre.

Planning and design work continues for the upgrades to the rest of the Aquatic Centre, including improvements to the roof, fire safety system, ventilation and internal spaces.

For more information about the Rotorua Aquatic Centre redevelopment go to www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/poolupgrade

Image courtesy of Rotorua Lakes Council 

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